The Lord Perfects that which Concerns Me

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever: forsake not the work of thine own hands." Psalm 138:8

Two major present day American society activities seem to be pleasure seeking and avoiding pain. We have a tendency to search for comfort, security and pleasure; it is a normal part of the human condition. If we don't feel good, something must be wrong. When we experience fear and become uncomfortable, we want to fix the situation immediately. If we don't take time to assess the situation, thoughts become distorted and we can return to old destructive patterns, giving us momentary relief. We need to carefully consider our thoughts because destructive thinking can cause us to turn our focus away from God and toward worldly mentality. Feelings are God-given. They form a huge part of what makes us human, enabling us to be fully alive. The capacity to feel and express emotions is a wonderful gift from God, allowing us to respond to the truths found in God's Word (John 8:32). Imagine living in a world without emotions. It would be like living in a world without color; life would be dull and boring. Emotions are given to unable us to enjoy life.

Feelings change and can be deceptive. They can be untruthful, unreliable, misleading, provoke us to say things that are unwise and steal our faith. Emotions are powerful; sometimes we feel overwhelmed by them. When emotions become destructive, they can make us miserable, ruin relationships with others and hinder our spiritual growth. The nature of the flesh is to want what we cannot have, but once we have it, the craving starts all over again. The flesh always wants more; it is never satisfied. If we allow the flesh to lead, we will be filled with death-like feelings and attitudes. If we choose to allow the Spirit to lead, we will be filled with life and peaceful, calm emotions (Romans 6-8).

God created emotions and He is able to stop their destructive effect on our lives. He can make emotions work for us, giving us peace and joy as we learn to respond to His Word and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. God wants us to trust Him because He has plans to bless us, bring us into increase and lead us into a better situation. We are to be aware of our emotions, not allowing them to cause us to cross the line from Spirit to human. The Spirit has a natural love and care for us. Cast all cares upon the Lord and verbalize all emotions to Him (I Peter 5:7).

The emotions we experience are based on specific beliefs and perceptions established at some point in our lives. Beliefs determine the thoughts which serve as the cause for emotions. Being a person of faith doesn't mean we will never have negative or ungodly feelings. We can exercise faith, release the Holy Spirit to help us have a good attitude, be thankful and not allow our feelings to control us. How we respond emotionally determines how much peace and joy we have.

Satan uses feelings to deceive and lead us astray. The danger of building our lives on feelings is that we may not feel the same way about a situation tomorrow as we do today. Trying to control or suppress negative emotions places our focus on them, providing them with additional energy, therefore attracting more of what we don't want. As Christians, we are to believe God's Word over what we hear, feel or experience.

Words are containers of power; they have a direct effect on our emotions, determine our attitude and outlook on life. God's Word has the power to change our feelings. The Bible tells us to cast down thoughts, imaginations and strongholds. We are to think on what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy (II Corinthians 10:5, Philippians 4:8). When we read God's Word and speak God's Word, our minds are transformed and renewed (Romans 12:2). Verbalizing negative thoughts based on emotions is unfruitful and not the right thing to do. Even if what we confess is opposite of how we feel, keep confessing the positive Word of God. Learn to walk by faith, not be the things we see, touch and feel (Hebrews 11:1).

God wants us to have calmness and soul-quietness in the midst of tribulation (John 14:27). Since all things are possible with God, then it is possible for us to enter His rest and live free from controlling, negative emotions. We may face obstacles and difficulties as God continues to strengthen and prepare us for greater good. We have revelation of who we are in Christ, we know that with Christ on the inside of us, there is nothing that can happen that is out of His control (I John 4:4). God will perfect the things that concern us!